Jasper schools safe after bomb, shooting threat

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Breakout Box:

Kelly Champlin contributed to this story.

Jasper County’s public schools were evacuated Monday morning after a bomb and shooting threat. According to the Jasper County School District, a threating message was called into the district office’s main number at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

At 8 a.m. Monday, the call that threatened both campuses was retrieved by district staff and reported to law enforcement. Based on what Ridgeland Police Chief Richard Woods said was a “credible” threat, both campuses were evacuated.

Ridgeland Police, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Hardeeville’s police department responded.

Students were transported by bus from the Ridgeland campus to the Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School football field and students at the Hardeeville campus walked to the football field next to the campus.

After a search of the campuses, law enforcement cleared both sites.

Hardeeville students returned to class at 11:45 a.m. Ridgeland’s students returned at 12:45 p.m.

After listening to the threat, Superintendent Vashti Washington thinks a student left the message.

“It’s a voice and it just said, ‘We are going to bomb the school and shoot it up,’ ”she said.

The school district is working with the sheriff to pinpoint who left the message.

At Monday’s school board meeting Washington addressed some concerns. Each principal called parents informing them of the situation, but some parents said they were told they could pick up their children, while others received a different message.

“We could improve communication,” Washington said. “We may have said they could pick (their children) up at the stadium, but law enforcement, once they got there, said no, it will be too complicated.”

Washington noted likely in the future one central message will go out to all parents.

A parent at the board meeting was concerned about a potential incident on Tuesday, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but Washington noted the presence of three school resource officers at Ridgeland-Hardeeville High and two at Hardeeville-Ridgeland Middle School.

“We have increased security measures and (Monday) all three municipalities worked together and did exceptionally well,” Washington said.

Washington also indicated metal detectors could be installed at the high and middle schools after a parent at the meeting expressed concerns.

“We can do whatever we can to protect our students,” said Washington, who noted the facilities committee has recently discussed metal detectors and the district is seeking recommendations from Sheriff Greg Jenkins or Chief Woods on what type of detectors to obtain.

“We think it’s important. I hope we can have it within this school year.”